The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday cast a split vote to allocate $3.79 million in Collective of Results and Evidence-based (CORE) funds to 28 nonprofits after a contentious discussion that prompted many to question the transparency of the process.
In all, more than 100 nonprofits requested some $15.3 million.
Many organizations that did not receive funding through the competitive request for proposal process–or that saw a reduction in their allocation from the previous three-year funding cycle–were left wondering how they would make up the shortfall.
Two nonprofits whose requests were initially denied were Meals on Wheels, a program of Community Bridges, and Grey Bears. Both serve the county’s growing senior population.
But both received last-minute reprieves when the supervisors doled out $828,847 in discretionary funds to 10 of the ones denied.
Community Bridges spokesman Tony Nuñez said that the $300,000 that came from that pot is a 25% reduction from the last cycle’s allocation. That will mean that one in 10 seniors will be cut from the Meals on Wheels program over the next three years.
“When this contract kicks in on July 1, 2025, we’ll likely have to have a wait list implemented,” he said. “The actual people who are going to have to live with it are the seniors, who we will have to tell, ‘sorry, we just don’t have the ability and the funding to continue to support your meals.’”
Grey Bears Development Manager Kayla Traber said that organization’s last-minute $150,000 allocation will mean it can maintain its current services to the 4,100 seniors.
But the nonprofit’s $462,025 request would have helped fund an expansion in services to meet the county’s growing senior population, she said.
“We are incredibly grateful for all of the supervisors’ support in recommending that funding,” she said. “We also recognize that there are other nonprofits impacted, and there is a lot of growing need in our community.
The recommendations for funding were made by the Human Services Department after applications were reviewed by a 60-member panel that included community members, subject matter experts, as well as city, county and nonprofit staff.
That process, led by the Human Services Department and supported in part through their contract with Optimal Solutions Consulting, was repeatedly called into question in a subsequent discussion, during which the supervisors canceled its $272,938 contract.
Supervisor Manu Koenig asked for a delay to allow the board to closely review the applications, saying that there was not enough information.
“We as a board have no evidence and no results to look at when making these decisions,” he said.
Koenig also questioned why nonprofits that provide essential services were denied.
“There is no funding for basic food, and there is no funding for childcare in this package of recommended investments,” he said. “That’s not a safety net.”
But Human Services Director Randy Morris warned the board against a delay, saying that there will likely be larger issues to grapple with when the new presidential administration takes over next year.
Board Chair Justin Cummings said that he neither got a detailed picture of who the applying organizations were before the decision Tuesday, nor a reason some were denied.
“I have actually found this to be one of the least transparent processes I have ever had to work in,” he said.
Cummings added that he plans to ask for changes to the process when the board convenes in 2025.
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